Operation: TIRAMISU
by Hajime Morikawa
Summary: Rachel gazed sadly at the smile that lit up Nigel's face. As long as he was happy, she thought to herself, she wouldn't wish for anything more. /Mildly AU, 1x362/
1. Stage 01: Suppressed Affections

**Now Loading: Teens Next Door Mission**

**Operation: T.I.R.A.M.I.S.U.**

**T**elling  
**I**gnorant  
**R**omantically  
**A**ttractive  
**M**ale  
**I**s  
**S**imply  
**U**n-possible

_Tiramisu_ (Italian): "Pick-me-up", "make me happy/not sad"

Stage – 01: Suppressed Affections

The bell rang, its piercing thrill signaling the end of the final period. Instantly the corridors of Gallagher High flooded with students, chattering loudly and excitedly about their plans for the weekend ahead.

All except for one, that is.

"Stupid, stuck-up little creep… can't believe the _nerve _of her… no respect at all… such injustice…" 17-year old Rachel Mackenzie grumbled between clenched teeth, fire practically _erupting_ from her head like Mount Vesuvius at its worst, as she stomped all the way through the corridor. All those in her path were smart enough to give her a wide berth, for crossing the Supreme Leader of the Teens Next Door while she was in that mood was tantamount to a slow and painful death.

Around the corner Nigel Uno paused in his reading, a knowing smile appearing on his face as he heard the familiar footsteps of his best friend and fellow operative heading towards him. Patiently the British boy slipped his ruler-bookmark in between the pages of _The Lord of the Rings_ before closing it shut, waiting for the inevitable rant that was to come.

…And it would begin right about – _now_.

"UGH!! That – that – _witch _is completely, positively and absolutely ANNOYING with a capital 'A'!!" Rachel exploded as soon as she was within hearing range of Nigel, waving her hands around like a windmill. "Come on! A retarded amoeba could see from a mile off that she cheated, but _nooooo,_ Mr. Cameron not only calls me a liar, but _also_ takes her side and awards her – can you believe it – an _A-plus_ when that conniving little _vixen_ doesn't even deserve an _F_!!"

Nigel chuckled, seemingly unruffled by the outburst as he ran his fingers through his brown, slightly-spiked hair; apparently his baldness was not as permanent as they'd originally conceived. "Would this perchance have anything to do with a certain Miss Valerie Ingram and the English pop quiz you took this morning, boss-lady?" he enquired.

"Why yes; as a matter of fact, it does!" Rachel replied. "How ever did you guess?"

"Because whenever the names 'Valerie' or 'Ingram' are mentioned, a rather large vein appears in your right temple, your ears go slightly red, your fingers twitch spastically and your eyes emit bolts of electricity," Nigel answered smoothly.

"Hmph. And I always thought only a fuse box could produce electricity."

"Not really, but I don't think you need a lecture about energy sources right now," Nigel stated. "Now take a deep breath and calm down; you're going to put someone's eye out with all that waving of yours."

Rachel scowled mightily, but complied nonetheless.

"Now, let's just talk this over like rational, civilized people, shall we?" Nigel began. "So, you're understandably very upset over Miss Ingram's cheating, and you feel helpless because you are unable to do anything about it, except to watch her win. _But _–" he continued, just as Rachel opened her mouth to retort, "– if you lose your temper over it, you'll only get yourself into more trouble with Mr. Cameron. And unfortunately, he isn't a Rachel Mackenzie fan and will most likely happily use the opportunity to suspend you."

Rachel blinked, and then smirked. "You know me too well, Numbuh 1."

"Hey, there's a reason why I've been your best friend ever since kindergarten," Nigel replied with a grin.

She sighed. "Well, thanks for the psychoanalysis, but it still doesn't help my situation any. I feel so… so lousy right now; I hate that little _witch_'s guts like she's a bad rash that will never go away. But when I try to tell the teachers or principal about what she really is, they immediately take her side just because her father is – whoop-dee-doo – a member of the school's Board of Directors! And as though that wasn't enough, she keeps showing me up and rubbing that fact into my face!" In a fit of righteous anger she slammed her fist into the wall beside her. "It's just not fair!"

"Now, now, there's no need to damage that poor wall; it never did anything to you," Nigel pacified. "If it makes you feel better, I'll treat you to a –"

Rachel perked up. "A slice of tiramisu??" she asked.

"– Yes, and –"

"With _lots_ of whipped cream?" Rachel pressed on excitedly, her gray eyes large and sparkling in anticipation, "including –"

"– the large helping of strawberry syrup and little chocolate wafers and discs on top," Nigel finished without missing a beat.

"Then what're we waiting for?" Grabbing him by the wrist Rachel sprinted towards the exit. "Let's go!"

**-XXX-**

Half an hour later Rachel and Nigel were at their favorite ice-cream parlor, Swenson's, and were having their desserts under the shade of a bright red and white-striped umbrella. "Ah, tiramisu," Rachel was sighing, pure delight gracing her features as she allowed the heavenly mixture of cheese, coffee and chocolate to melt onto her tongue. "It truly lives up to its name, being one of the greatest anti-depressants that I can think of!"

Nigel smiled. "It'd better be. I paid for it, you know." A pause. "So, still feeling lousy over –?"

"Nah. Let us speak no more of that fraudulent, two-faced snake in human guise," Rachel cut in, her voice a faux archaic accent as she waved a hand in dismissal. "Let's talk about something else. Like," She smiled playfully, "have you confessed your feelings to Shirley Fenette yet?"

Nigel coughed uncomfortably, a blush coloring his cheeks as he looked away. "…Let's not talk about that, either."

"Oh, but we _must_!" The blonde Supreme Leader smirked, waving her spoon in front of Nigel's crimson-painted face. "For all your outspoken intelligence and formality, my dear Nigel Uno, you are but a guy… and a guy completely head over heels in love with a member of the opposite gender and too afraid to 'fess up to her at that."

Numbuh 1 gave a deep, forlorn sigh. "I'm not afraid of _her…_"

"Ah-yeeessss?" prompted Numbuh 362, her blond eyebrows rising encouragingly.

"…I'm afraid of her _rejection,_" Nigel admitted, absent-mindedly poking at his slice of tiramisu with his fork. "Numbuh 81 – Shirley – she's so beautiful, smart, sweet, funny, witty, adorable, and popular and… utterly beyond my reach…" He sighed again. "Not to mention that she's also a member of the TND Bureaucracy _and_ the President of the school's Swimming Club; out of her countless admirers, why on earth would she pick _me_?"

"And where has your trademark operative-cockiness, determination and confidence gone to?!" Rachel demanded indignantly. "I thought you loved her! Trust me, Nigel, you're worth a _gajillion_ times more than any of her other admirers! Unlike most of them, you actually have a brain, you have the looks and the charm, and it certainly doesn't hurt that you're the son of the legendary Numbuh Zero –"

Nigel raised an eyebrow. "Somehow, I'm not too encouraged by the thought that Numbuh 81 loves me for the superficial reasons that are 'brains, looks, charm and celebrity background'," he replied dryly.

"Hey, you have to have _something _to draw her to you first, right?" Rachel answered, shrugging. "And then, when you've gotten her attention, you cast your irresistible Uno Family Charm™ upon her and make her _melt_ into your arms like mush, surrendering her heart and soul to you for all eternity. So, in short… just tell Numbuh 81 and get on with it already!"

"Huh, easier said than done," Nigel responded cynically as he shoveled a spoonful of tiramisu into his mouth. "But don't worry your little blonde head off; I'll tell her soon… when the time is right."

"And that time would be when, exactly?"

"…When I feel the time is right," Nigel repeated.

Rachel snorted in reply, muttering something about guys and their habit of procrastinating, and he frowned.

"You just don't _understand_, Rachel; the warm, fuzzy feeling you get in your stomach and spreads throughout the rest of your body, when you're in the presence of the one you're in love with for so long and from afar. And then, you finally pluck up the courage to spill out your innermost feelings for that person, only to have those hopes and dreams crushed into pieces when she replies with '_I'm sorry, but I don't like you in_ that _way. Let's remain as friends_'." He let out a breath through his nose.

"I just don't want to experience that kind of pain again… not after what happened with Lizzie."

Sympathy passed through Rachel's eyes for a split-second at the mention of Nigel's old flame, before it was replaced by indignation. "Oh really? Try me!" she challenged.

"_You_'ve been in love? Now that's cruel, Numbuh 362, ma'am; I thought best friends told each other everything." Nigel smirked at her. "Sooo… who's the lucky guy?" he enquired, elbow-nudging her.

Rachel turned her nose up at him. "Sorry soldier, but that is classified information of the highest level."

"How mean." Nigel pouted. "I told you about Shirley."

"You told me about Shirley _voluntarily_," Rachel reminded him, "I, on the other hand, refuse to share this private, secret information to anyone. It's mine and mine alone, and I'm not giving the password."

Nigel chuckled and adjusted his sunglasses. "Ah, I always knew you were keeping a few secrets from me." He glanced at his watch. "Will you look at the time, it's almost five o'clock; time for you to get home before your parents worry, ma'am."

Rachel, however, looked down at her unfinished piece of tiramisu with so much longing and desire, that Nigel sighed. "All right, I'll buy you another slice. But this means that I get a reward in return," he added impishly, his Prussian-blue eyes twinkling behind his sunglasses.

In response Rachel gave a mocking salute. "And what is thy desire, O Magnificent Numbuh 1 of Sector V?"

"Oh, anything you're able to give me; even if it's free of charge," Nigel teased with a grin, "As long as it's something that's valuable and you wouldn't give it to just anyone else."

"Hmm…" Rachel bit her lip thoughtfully. "Well, in that case…" With these words she abruptly leaned forward and planted a soft kiss on his cheek.

Nigel's eyes widened in shock at the unexpected action. Rachel gave him a mischievous wink. "You _did_ say that it could be free of charge, something that was valuable and I wouldn't give to just anyone, now didn't you?" she reminded him.

Strangely touched by the sincerity behind her words, Nigel's heart gave a lurch in his chest. He cleared his throat. "Yes. Yes, that you did," the Brit conceded, as his fingers subconsciously touched his blushing cheek, the very part where Rachel had kissed him, "And relax, Rachel; I know you didn't mean anything else by it." He stood up. "Well, since I've already gotten my reward, I guess an extra slice of tiramisu is in order. I'll be right back."

Rachel watched him stride towards the counter, and as soon as the British boy was out of hearing range she mentally kicked herself. Now _why_ the crud did she go and kiss him for?! Did she want her undisclosed romantic feelings for Nigel to be that freaking obvious?

Yes, that's right; for over eleven years, the Supreme Leader of the TND had carefully kept her blossoming love for her shade-wearing, no-longer-bald best friend and fellow operative under heavy lock, key and chain, only to nearly blow it all in less than eleven _seconds_.

Shaking her head Rachel's shoulders slumped downwards miserably. What did it matter, anyhow? After all, it was _Shirley Fenette_ whom Nigel admired and was madly in love with, not her; whenever the slender, auburn-haired beauty passed them by he would look right past Rachel to gaze dreamily at her. What did Rachel mean to him, except only as his fellow operative, his boss-lady, and his best friend since childhood?

**-XXX-**

_A six-year old Rachel sat all alone at the bus shelter, waiting for her father to come and pick her up from kindergarten, like he promised he would. She felt a bit nervous, as it was already starting to grow dark, and the gray-colored clouds that were gathering overhead didn't look at all promising._

_Right now she sorely wished that her younger brother Harvey was there with her; at least with the extra company, she wouldn't have felt so scared then. However, Harvey had been selected to attend a different kindergarten, one that was far away from hers._

_Rachel had no friends either. No one wanted to be _anywhere_ near her, especially not after the incident that involved her, Valerie Ingram and the latter's holier-than-thou attitude. The future were-poodle was one of the most popular figures in the kindergarten and almost everyone wanted to be her friend, except for Rachel, who _loathed _her; Valerie had made fun of her (then) short hairstyle, and in response Rachel had lashed out heatedly at her. Thus, out of spite Valerie started to ignore Rachel, and following suit the other children began to pretty much pretend the little blonde girl never existed._

_Friendless, ignored and alone… and yet Rachel Mackenzie had long gotten used to it, for everyone else had treated her in this manner, ever since she could remember. _

_So immersed was Rachel in her less-than-happy thoughts, that she did not hear the heavy footsteps that came from an alley behind her. "Why hello there, little girl," a gravelly voice spoke, causing her to stiffen._

_Slowly the girl turned around to see a tall, thin man dressed in a black trench-coat, with sinister black eyes leering at her lecherously from between strands of long dark hair. He smiled, revealing crooked yellow teeth, which only served to fuel her rising panic._

_She did _not_ like him at all. Where was Daddy?_

_If it was even possible, the creepy man's smile grew wider and even more sinister. "You're a cute, pretty child, aren't you? Why won't you answer me? I'm not going to hurt you."_

"_D-Daddy and M-M-Mommy s-say t-that I-I-I… sh-shouldn't talk t-to s-s-strangers!" Rachel snapped, trying to sound brave, although the waver in her voice betrayed her fear within._

_Slyly the man clucked his tongue. "My, my, _such_ a bad temper for such a small child," he stated in mock-chastisement. Taking a seat on the bench beside her he patted his knee invitingly. "Why don't you come over here and sit on my lap, hmm?"_

_By now Rachel was completely paralyzed with fear, rendering her incapable of speech or movement. _Where's Daddy?_ She thought wildly, _What's taking him so long?!

_The stranger's face suddenly turned angry. "I said, SIT ON MY LAP!!" he bellowed. Snapping out of her trance Rachel shook her head._

SMACK!!

_She reeled backwards from the force of the slap, her hand slowly lifting to touch her crimson, stinging cheek. "Don't make me do that again," the man threatened, "Now be a good little girl and sit down on my lap, just like I told you to… otherwise I have no choice but to punish you."_

_Quickly Rachel jumped to her feet and bolted for her life in the opposite direction, trying to get away from the scary man. However, she had only gone barely more than a yard when he caught up to her, his bony arms snaking around her waist and lifting her off the ground. Thrashing around and kicking frantically, Rachel tried to free herself from his vice-like grip. "LET ME GO, YOU JERK!!" she screamed. _

"_You're making me lose my patience, little girl. Remember, I _did_ warn you…" A not-quite-sane grin crossed the stranger's face as he raised his hand, ready to make good on his promise to punish her…_

_Meanwhile, a young (and not-yet-bald) Nigel was strolling along the sidewalk, humming to himself a song his teacher had taught him. He was just on his way home from kindergarten when he was alerted by a piercing scream. He looked in the direction of the cry, and his eyes narrowed in anger at the sight that greeted him: there, at a nearby bus shelter, was a tall, dark man who was mishandling a blond child._

_Impulsively Nigel rushed over, and once he was within range he gave the man a powerful (for his age) upper kick to the shin from behind, just like how he saw the Power Rangers do it on TV. Caught off guard by the sudden attack, the would-be child molester fell forward and landed facedown on the ground, the sudden impact knocking him out and rendering him unconscious._

"_Hey, you all right?" Nigel asked the trembling girl he had rescued, his blue eyes filled with concern._

_She raised her head to face him, and to his utter astonishment Nigel found himself staring at the girl everyone in his class deemed 'too strange and too fierce' to play with. He remembered her first name: Rachel. A nice name, in his humble opinion. He smiled kindly at her._

"_My name is Nigel Uno, your classmate," he introduced. "I hope you're not hurt."_

_The pitiful sight of her face contorting and gray eyes filling with tears broke his heart. "Rachel…" he whispered._

"_N-N-N-Nigel…" she whimpered in reply, tears spilling from her eyes and leaking freely down her cheeks in torrents. She looked so vulnerable, so scared and so fragile, completely unlike the vicious wildcat his fellow classmates had made her out to be._

_Nigel's eyes softened. "It's okay; I won't let that bad man touch you _ever_ again," he promised._

_She was still crying profusely; was it out of relief or fear? He didn't know. So, in an attempt to cheer her up, he decided to ask her the first thing that came to mind. "Say, Rachel… do you like tiramisu?"_

_Hiccupping and rubbing her tear-stained eyes with the back of her hand, Rachel nodded her head hesitantly. "Great. I know of a café down the street; they sell _really_ yummy tiramisu and cakes," Nigel replied, a grin appearing on his face. "Wanna come with?"_

_Rachel looked at the unconscious child molester Nigel had saved her from, and back at Nigel, before her face broke out into a smile at her new-found friend. "Sure!" she chirped._

_Chuckling Nigel held out a hand towards Rachel. She took it._

_And that was how they first met, long before they joined the Kids/Teens Next Door._

…_When they became the best of friends…_

…_When she began to fall in love with him…_

**-XXX-**

_Oh well,_ she thought, smiling sadly as the memory of their first meeting played in her mind, _as long as he's happy, as long as he's smiling… I won't ask for anything more._

Of course, it was all a big, fat _lie_. But hey, Rachel would do anything for her buddy-buddy, her bestest best friend in the whole wide world.

…Even if it meant lying to her own heart.

* * *

Author's Notes

Man, I seem to be in a KND mood lately.

This is actually a rewrite of my old story 'Tiramisu', made it so that it is 1x362 oriented (since I figured it would work better for that pairing), and includes the KND/TND itself, although it is still slightly AU. Hope this revamped version is to your liking.

If they could string out words like 'powuh', 'kidnapify' and 'kruise', I don't think the word 'un-possible' is going to stand out _too_ much.

For Nigel's (new) hairstyle, just picture Heero Yuy's from _Gundam Wing_.

Shirley Fenette is from _Code Geass._ Just thought I'd make her a TND operative here as well.

Review if you'd like.


	2. Stage 02: Jealousy and Denials

**Operation: T.I.R.A.M.I.S.U.**

Stage – 02: Jealousy and Denials

"What kind of alien language _is_ this?!"

Rachel gaped slack-jawed at the complicated arithmetical problem Mrs. Jacobsen was writing on the blackboard, and resisted the overwhelming urge to slam her head repeatedly against her desk. At that moment she could care less if she suffered from permanent brain damage; at least she would have an excuse to escape from her least favorite lesson in the world.

To say that Arithmetic was Rachel's weakest subject was a gross understatement; she was already fortunate enough to barely scrape past a 'C-minus' for her tests and quizzes.

Beside her the Wicked Witch – or rather, Were-Poodle – of the West, Valerie Ingram sat, smirking deviously as she glanced at Rachel. One of Valerie's favorite hobbies was to torment the blonde girl, their ages-old rivalry stemming from their kindergarten days. Right now, like a predator stalking its prey, she was awaiting the perfect opportunity to strike.

"Now class," Mrs. Jacobsen spoke, after she had finished writing, "does anyone know how to solve this problem?"

Instantly Valerie's hand was in the air. "Ah, Miss Ingram, do you know the answer?"

Valerie smiled. "No, ma'am, I don't," she replied, her voice saccharine. "But _Mackenzie_ here does!" Her finger was soon leveled at the blonde, whose look of surprise soon turned into a death glare that promised eternal pain for Valerie.

"Very well then, Miss Mackenzie, please answer the question."

Right now Rachel sorely wished that she could unleash her TND martial-art skills and whoop Valerie's homework-munching butt there and then, were it not for the fact that doing so would result in the TND's exposure – and her definite expulsion. Slowly standing up Rachel swallowed nervously, her eye twitching as she studied the arithmetic problem on the blackboard.

_What the crud?_ She thought._ What in the name of Numbuh Zero does 'FX+45' mean?? Is it some sort of secret code I haven't heard of or something??_

"Well? What is the answer, Miss Mackenzie?" Mrs. Jacobsen asked impatiently.

By now Rachel was sweating profusely. "Ah… um… eh heh heh heh…" she stammered; people around her were beginning to snicker. Valerie looked innocent, but underneath that mask she was cackling evilly at Rachel's plight. "You see, err… 'FX' means… um…"

_Oh fudge!! It could mean one plus one for all I know!!_

"Excuse me, ma'am, but I know the answer," a British-accented voice piped up.

Rachel inwardly gave an enormous sigh of relief. As always, her knight in shining armor had come to rescue her from a potentially humiliating disaster.

Standing up Nigel proceeded to give the answer as detailed and efficiently as possible, rattling off all sorts of complicated arithmetical formulae that sounded as though they came from a sci-fi series. And although Rachel didn't understand a single word that was spouting forth from his mouth, she felt extremely grateful nonetheless.

"…and that's why the answer is 45.67," Nigel finished.

Mrs. Jacobsen frowned. "That is correct, Mr. Uno, but I was asking Miss Mackenzie, not you. Next time, please refrain from answering questions that are intended for your classmates." She turned to Rachel. "Miss Mackenzie, you may sit down."

As Valerie silently cursed the failure of her latest '_embarrass the heck out of Rachel Mackenzie and potentially ruin her life_' plan, the blond-haired girl in question sat down, flashing a smile of utmost gratitude at her best friend. _Thanks, Nigel,_ she mouthed to him.

Nigel grinned and winked back.

**-XXX-**

It was recess, and everyone was enjoying their precious twenty-minute break away from their lessons. Nigel and Rachel were sitting at their usual spot at one corner of the cafeteria, with the former watching a certain auburn-haired girl sitting a few tables away from him like some undercover agent.

At that moment Shirley Fenette – also known as Numbuh 81 of the Teens Next Door – was sipping her orange juice through a straw and chatting with her friends. She smiled and laughed at a joke one of them was telling her, her laughter sounding like tinkling bells in the warm summer breeze to Nigel's ears. In his eyes she now looked even more _radiant_ and _seraphic_ than before – if it was even possible.

Nigel sighed wistfully. _Ah… Numbuh 81's so delicate and graceful, even when she's doing something as simple as drinking a glass of orange juice_, he thought dreamily, a lovesick grin on his face. In his mind little anime bubbles, hearts and Cupids were now floating around him and Shirley, in tune to Tchaikovsky's 'Romeo and Juliet'…

"HELLO? EARTH TO NIGEL UNO!! _ARE YOU LISTENING TO ME_?!"

"GAH!!" yelled Nigel in fright, nearly falling off his seat as Rachel shouted into his ear. He cringed, pretending to dig his affected left ear. "Relax, boss-lady; you didn't have to shout. I'm not deaf, you know."

Rachel stuck out her tongue. "I had to get your attention _somehow_!"

"You've got it all right," Nigel replied. "So, what is it?"

The blonde blushed faintly, twiddling her thumbs. "…You know about the school dance this Friday, right?" she asked.

Know? Of course Nigel knew about it. In fact, just a few seconds ago, he had been thinking about how to pluck up the courage to ask Shirley to it. He _really_ wished that there was a guidebook to '_Asking a Date to the School Dance for Dummies_'; it could make life a whole lot easier for clueless guys like him. "Yeah, I do. What of it?"

Rachel cleared her throat. "I was… well… I was wondering if…"

"Yes?" Nigel nodded, encouraging her to continue.

"If you… If you still want to drink your soda! Yeah, that's right, your soda! No sense wasting it when you're too busy gawping at someone else, right??" the Supreme Leader said quickly, chuckling nervously.

Nigel blinked. He thought Rachel was about to ask him something more serious, but decided not to pursue the matter. "Go ahead. I've gone off soda anyway."

Rachel nodded and took his drink. _Whoever said love was easy ought to be hunted down, chopped to pieces and fed as little sweets to piranhas_, she thought darkly as she sipped the fizzy sweet-tasting liquid.

"Hey, Rachel!" a voice called out.

A burly, sandy-haired boy was striding towards said girl, an arrogant smirk on his face. Rachel's eyes narrowed at the sight: Gregory DeMarco, Gallagher High's star football player and her long-time admirer, who had been pursuing her for as far back as she could remember. Part of the reason that Gregory chased after her, Rachel knew, was that because he thought of her as nothing more than a challenge. Rachel had rejected any male bold enough to ask her out, and Gregory had wanted to prove to his friends that he could accomplish what the others could not.

She tried to keep her rapidly growing irritation in check. After all, unleashing her righteous fury upon him would only leave him crawling back and begging for more. Just like how one cannot resist a good game of _World of Warcraft_ despite knowing it is detrimental to his/her social life and psychological state.

"Gregory. What an _un-_pleasant surprise," Rachel greeted. "What do you want?"

Mr. Gregory I-am-God's-gift-to-girls DeMarco inclined his head. "You, me, and the dance this Friday is what I want, baby."

"I've told you a thousand times; _don't_ call me 'baby'!!" Rachel snapped. "Do I look like a freaking five-year old to you?!"

"Now, now, no need to get angry, baby." Gregory laughed, waving a hand dismissively. "After all, this is your future dance partner you're talkin' to. So, are we on this Friday or what?"

Rachel was _seething._ Heavens above, this guy was denser than a rock!

Before she could tell Gregory _exactly _where he could shove his invitation, Nigel smoothly stepped in. "You're wasting your time and breath, DeMarco. She told you she's not going, and that's final."

"Oh, I'm sorry; was I talking to _you,_ _Frenchie?_" Gregory retorted, glaring at Nigel. "I don't care what you say. Besides, it's not as if you're her boyfriend or anything." He narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "Or ARE you?"

"We're just friends. Nothing more, nothing less," Nigel asserted firmly. "But that doesn't mean I'll let her go out with some moronic _Neanderthal_, who can't tell the obvious difference between British and French people, without anything to say about it."

Gregory scowled. "Was that an insult?"

"Why no, whatever gave you _that_ idea?" Nigel replied, rolling his eyes. _I rest my case,_ he thought.

Meanwhile, Rachel was staring at Nigel for a long moment, before turning to Gregory with a saccharine smile on her face. "Gregory… I _accept._"

"You heard her, now get lost before I – wait, WHAT?!" Nigel gaped at Rachel as though she'd just announced that Numbuh 13 was to be her successor as TND Supreme Leader. He must've heard wrong, there was _no_ way that Rachel would –!

Gregory blinked a few times before smirking triumphantly. "Ah, I knew you were just playing hard-to-get all these years, Rachel!" he said. "Well, get yourself all pretty for Friday's dance, okay? I'll be picking you up, baby!"

"Can't wait!" Rachel returned. Gregory winked, pointing his fingers 'cool-guy' style at her before walking off, no doubt to brag to his other jock friends about his seemingly-impossible feat.

There was a very long silence. Nigel was still staring at Rachel in shock. "All right, who are you and what have you done with the real Rachel Mackenzie?!" he finally demanded.

Rachel looked at him blankly. "What are you talking about?"

"What in the name of my father possessed you to do – do – _that_?!" Nigel spluttered, jabbing a finger at Gregory's retreating back. "I thought you – and I quote – '_hate his guts and want nothing more than to pour melted cheese down his nostrils in the traditional Swiss manner_'!!"

"Well, maybe I just want to try something new!" she snapped. "Maybe I just want to try my hand in the dating scene. After all, unlike you, I never had a date in my entire life, and I'm sick and tired of having to wait for my 'Mr. Right' to finally take notice of my existence!"

Nigel gritted his teeth in frustration. "Then maybe he's not worthy of you in the first place!" he shot back. "Why should you have to wait for that 'Mr. Right' to take notice of you? You deserve someone better than him, and especially one who's better than _Gregory-bloody-DeMarco!_"

"That is _so_ malicious of you, Nigel Uno!" Rachel snapped. "Besides, at least he has the decency to take notice of me. The guy _I _like can't even see me as anything else, other than chopped liver!"

The moment those words left her mouth, Rachel hated herself. Although at times they would exchange caustic banter and sarcastic remarks, she very seldom quarreled with her best buddy. "I-I have to go," she murmured; lowering her head she turned and quickly walked away.

Nigel made to go after her, but decided to leave her be. Pinching the bridge of his nose he gave vent to a sigh.

**-XXX-**

(TND Global Command, Boaz Asteroid)

Patton Drilovsky stared at the document before him with utter incredulity. Throughout his time in the KND and later, the TND, he had always seen Numbuh 362 as infallible, a flawless machine that was completely _incapable_ of making any kind of mistake whatsoever. Any emotion was limited to the occasional smirk or frown, but otherwise Rachel Mackenzie was perfect, the ideal role for the former Number One Stealth Operative and KND/TND Supreme Leader.

So imagine his shock when he found not one, not two, but _five_ mistakes in the perfectly simple document Rachel had just typed out. "Numbuh 362?" he spoke tentatively.

"What is it, Numbuh 60?"

"There are five mistakes in this document."

Rachel took the document and looked it over, and at once a blush of embarrassment spread across her features. "Is everything all right, ma'am?" Patton asked, concerned. "You don't seem yourself lately."

"I-It's nothing, Numbuh 60," Rachel replied, rubbing her temples. "I just have a lot on my mind recently, that's all."

"Well, don't let it interfere with your work," Patton advised. "Our enemies may be lying low for the moment, but there's no telling when they'll strike."

"I know."

With that Patton saluted and left the room. Rachel sighed, absent-mindedly clicking on the weather forecast for Cleveland on her computer.

Showers in the late afternoon… it was on a day like this, eleven years ago, that she and Nigel had their very first bite of tiramisu together.

**-XXX-**

"_Yay! I love tiramisu!" a young Rachel squealed, happily taking a big bite of her feast and waving her spoon in the air. "Thank you very much, Nigel!"_

"_You're welcome, princess," replied Nigel._

_She blinked at him. "Why do you call me that?" she asked, "I don't live in a palace, I don't wear glass slippers and I don't have any prince on a white horse who likes me."_

_Nigel laughed. "I thought it suits you: a little misunderstood princess, who lives in an ordinary two-storey house, wears sports shoes, and as for the prince…" He paused. "Well, I'm no prince, and my 'horse' is only a bicycle. But I'd like you to be my friend."_

_She smiled. "That's great! That would make you my very first friend!"_

"_Is that so? Then a special day like this should be honored. Let's make a sacred pact that we will always be best friends," Nigel said as he spooned up his tiramisu._

"_I know! Let's have tiramisu once a week as a symbol of our friendship!" Rachel proposed. "And every time we taste it, we'll remember and cherish this day forever!"_

"_That's a great idea!" Nigel smiled and nodded. In unison, they opened their mouths and ate their tiramisu, before clashing their spoons as one._

"_Best friends forever!!" they intoned, and then they laughed joyfully, the rain outside the ice-cream parlor doing nothing to dampen their mood._

_Since that day, Rachel had worshipped the very ground Nigel walked on…_

**-XXX-**

Rachel must've fallen asleep at some point, because the next thing she felt was something soft and hard on the right side of her head. Her eyes opened groggily. She was in the back seat of a C.O.O.L.B.U.S., and her head was leaning on someone's shoulder. She could just make out his face.

"N-Numbuh 1…?" she muttered.

Nigel's blue eyes scolded her from behind his shades as he glanced at her from the side. "You silly girl, how could you fall asleep at your desk like this?" he chastised, "You see, that's why I _keep_ telling you not to over-work yourself on base. Who knows what would have happened if I hadn't phoned your family and asked if you were home, huh? Don't make me worry like that again, okay, Numbuh 362?"

Tiredly Rachel snuggled deeper into his shoulder, taking in the scent of his hair; already she could already feel her eyelids drooping. "Thanks, Nigel."

Nigel simply smiled in reply and told the driver in front of them to speed up. Soon Rachel was fast asleep, another memory appearing in her mind:

**-XXX-**

"_Rachel! Rachel, guess what!!"_

_15-year old Rachel looked up from her homework and saw her no-longer-bald best friend, Nigel running to her table. He looked terribly excited, like a little boy who'd just received his very first soccer ball on his birthday._

"_What, Nigel?" she inquired. "Did you get an 'A-plus' for that Chemistry test again?"_

_Nigel shook his head. "No, silly, it's nothing that unimportant." A dreamy expression appeared on his face. "I think I'm in _love_!"_

_It took a moment for his words to register into her brain, and when they did, she felt it short-circuit and her breathing stop. When Nigel broke up with Lizzie a year ago, the British boy had brokenly claimed that he'd never fall in love again. Thus, to hear that he already had his eyes on another girl had come as quite a shock to Rachel._

_However, that wasn't the main reason she was struck speechless. "In… love…?" she finally stammered, "With – with whom…?"_

_Nigel leaned in closer to whisper his secret. "Her name is… Shirley Fenette. Isn't that the most_ beautiful _name you've ever heard?"_

_Instantly an image of an auburn-haired girl with large, doe-like pale green eyes, a slender figure and a beautiful sweet smile on her face came to mind. And Rachel felt as though her heart had been smashed by a hammer, smashed some more with a mallet and crushed in a blender at full speed._

"_Shirley Fenette? You mean Numbuh 81 of the TND Bureaucracy?" she asked blankly, after she had regained the ability to talk._

"_Yeah!" replied Nigel, nodding his head vigorously. "She's so kind, gorgeous, sweet, and pretty and caring… she's the girl of my dreams!!" Nigel sighed wistfully. As he continued to sing praises to the skies of Numbuh 81's beauty, charm and her many other virtues, Rachel looked as though her brain had just shut down._

_This couldn't be happening, she thought. It was so… unreal, like a dream that she wished she could wake up from._

"_C-Could you repeat that?" she suddenly spoke._

_He blinked. "Repeat what?" he asked._

"_The first part… when you first came running to tell me…"_

"_Oh,_ that _part. Well… I'm in love with her… Shirley Fenette."_

_It was as though someone had taken a knife and stabbed her in the back when he said those five simple words:_ I'm in love with her.

I'm in love with her…

…In love with her…

…Love with her…

…Love with…

…Shirley Fenette.

_And in an instant, Rachel's world came crashing down around her._

**-XXX-**

(Benedict Uno's Mansion)

"I don't get it. I just don't get why she agreed to go to the dance with _DeMarco!_" Nigel wondered agitatedly as he shut down his game of Solitaire. He just couldn't seem to concentrate, as the earlier conversation he had with Rachel and Mr. Gregory Braggart-is-my-middle-name DeMarco kept playing over and over in his head. "She could do so much better for herself. Heck, even _Numbuh 2_ is a better date than that idiot!"

On the other hand, the thought of Hoagie Gilligan as Rachel's date made his blood boil as well. He sighed heavily. Something was terribly _wrong_ here; while it was all well and good to watch out for, to counsel and to care for his best friend, it was definitely _not_ well and good to forbid her from going out with whatever guy she wanted.

Nigel was just a friend and fellow operative, nothing more. He even said so himself!

_But I _know_ he's not the one for her. Therefore, I have to protect her from him,_ he told his conscience firmly. _It's only the right thing to do._

"_Riiiight…" _wryly replied his conscience, who for some odd reason sounded like his father,_ "just like how it's the 'right thing' for you to want to pound him into oblivion for coming within one yard of her."_

_Well, yes… but only as a friend._

"_A 'friend'? Ha!! Don't make me laugh! What you're feeling, Nigel old bean, is the green-eyed monster that goes by the name of Jealousy. And you don't like it one bit. Now, why on earth would you feel jealous over your mere 'best friend's date? Unless somehow –"_

_Shut _up!!

"_Tut, tut… remember, I'm_ your _mind. And I'm telling you that you've been ignoring the attraction you've been feeling towards your best friend and boss for a very long time now. It's _amusing_, really… I thought you were one of the brighter ones in Gallagher High, so why are you now acting like a bumbling idiot, hmm?"_

…_It's official; I've gone stark raving mad. I'm talking to myself. Think about something else, Uno._

Restlessly his Prussian-blue eyes wandered around his room, hoping to find some form of distraction from his infuriating inner chatterbox. They soon came to rest upon the photo frame on his bedside table.

He picked it up, gazing fondly at it. The photo was of him and Rachel, while they were six, eating tiramisu with the chocolate and cream smeared across their grinning faces. They were having a contest on who could wolf down their slices of cake the fastest. He smiled at the memory: Rachel had won hands-down.

Rachel Mackenzie… his boss-lady, best friend and polar opposite: she was lively, outspoken, athletic, and loved the outdoors. She thought volleyball was a way of life and spent much of her time practicing the game. Nigel was quiet and reserved, preferring to keep his head safely in his the pages of his precious books than participating in sports. In his opinion, sports were created for the sole purpose of unleashing the bloodthirsty, primitive and competitive spirit buried in everyone's soul. While it couldn't be helped when it came to KND/TND missions, he avoided strenuous activities whenever possible, finding it better to sit in front of the electrical boxes known as the television and computer and keep one's self from bodily harm.

Very rarely did he use violence; only twice had he used it. Once for Rachel, and the other for –

"_There's a danger in lovin' somebody too much… and it's sad when you know it's your heart you can't trust…_"

His thoughts were interrupted as his mobile phone rang. Picking it up Nigel flipped it open. "Hello?"

"Nigel? It's me."

Instantly Nigel grew worried. "Rachel, what's wrong?"

"I… I couldn't sleep."

Nigel frowned. "You were doing just fine back at Boaz," he pointed out.

"Yeah, but now I'm suffering from insomnia."

"That's unhealthy, Rachel," Nigel advised, "You need plenty of energy for school tomorrow. And with the school dance coming up, you'll need it for the vigor and sweat that will come. Have you tried counting sheep?"

"That is by far the dumbest idea you've given me yet! You know very well that sheep counting doesn't work on _me_!"

"Okay then… how about –"

"Reading a book?" Rachel cut in. "Sure, I _could_ do that… then I'll get bored to death and fall asleep, and then I'll dream I'm in a massive library filled with books, books, and guess what, _more_ books. Not to mention that I'll be reading a really thick one on my _favorite_ subject in the whole wide world – Arithmetic." There was a snort. "Sorry, Numbuh 1, but unlike you I'm not addicted to books."

"Relax, there's no need to go all sarcastic on me," Nigel said with a smile. "Well, since all my techniques don't work on you, we'll have to use other methods." He paused thoughtfully. "How about… talking?"

"Talking?" Rachel echoed, "About what?"

"Oh, anything you want."

"All right then… Have you asked Shirley to the dance yet?"

He chuckled nervously. "No, I haven't. But tomorrow is the last day, so I still have time to –"

"Oh wait, I forgot!" Rachel cut in, mock surprise lacing her voice, "This is the very same guy who said he would confess his feelings to Shirley when he felt – what was it again? – 'the time was right'!" He could almost _see_ her rolling her eyes. "You guys and your procrastinating ways…"

"Well, at least I won't be going with _Gregory DeMarco_," he retorted. "Honestly, Rachel, of all the eligible guys out there, _why_ did you have to pick _him_ as your date?"

"Not this again!" Rachel replied impatiently. "It's not as if I have any other choice, you know; no male in their right mind would come close enough to ask me… not unless their I.Q. is as low as Gregory's, that is. Besides, at least if Gregory tries to pull any perverted moves on me, I'll be able to kick his butt with no regrets whatsoever. I've broken his bones so many times that I'm starting to think he's _indestructible_!"

"Hmm, that explains why I see him drinking milk every day," Nigel mused. Just then he heard her yawn on the other end. "Rachel, put down the phone this instant and go to sleep," he ordered firmly.

"You would order your Supreme Leader around?" Rachel teased.

"If it ensures that she gets her much-needed rest," Nigel returned, and in a sterner note added, "Sleep. _Now!_"

"Okay, okay! Sheesh, you're worse than Numbuh 60 on a bad day!" Rachel yawned again and sighed. "Goodnight, Numbuh 1; pleasant dreams."

"Goodnight, Numbuh 362."

With that Nigel flipped shut his mobile phone. A frown crossed the British boy's features.

_Gregory and Rachel…_

Nigel made a face. It sounded so – so – _wrong!!_

"_Try: Nigel and Rachel."_

_Now_ that's _more like – what the crud?! You again! Stop planting these impractical ideas in my head!!_

"_Aaand why not?"_ his conscience drawled.

_Because,_ Nigel reasoned,_ it's not ethical to like your boss and best friend as anything more than a… boss and best friend._

"_Aaaand why's that?"_

_Because… it's just – _because!!

"_Uh-huh, nice comeback. And since when did I accuse you of liking your boss and best friend, hmm?"_

_I _never_ – Oh ho ho, I see now! You're just playing with me, aren't you? Well, I _refuse_ to join in your little mind games. Besides, you're merely a figment of my bloody imagination and I'm wasting precious time talking to you. I am going to _bed, _right now. At least there's energy gained in _that_ inactivity._

"_Go right ahead, ignore me. But I _highly_ doubt you'll get much sleep as your dreams are filled of your best friend dancing in the arms of that half-witted_ caveman _when it could have been_ you…_"_

Shutting his 'mind' out Nigel reached over and flicked the switch, plunging the room into darkness.

But just as his conscience had predicted, he didn't get much sleep that night.

* * *

Author's Notes

The blender line is from **tater06**'s _A Strange Love Connection_.

As to why Nigel's staying in Benedict/Father's mansion… well, that will be explained in a future chapter.

'Sometimes Love Just Ain't Enough' belongs to Don Henley, Patty Smyth and Selma Lins.

Points to those who spotted the _Blackadder_ references.

Review if you'd like.


	3. Stage 03: Rachel, the InVoluntary Guine…

**Operation: T.I.R.A.M.I.S.U.**

Stage – 03: Rachel, the (In)Voluntary Guinea Pig

It was a _very_ fatigued Nigel that dragged his feet over to the table where Rachel and the rest of Sector V sat, carrying his tray. His movements were sluggish and lethargic, his eyes red and bloodshot, and there were very dark rings around them. "What happened to you?" asked Rachel, her and the others' faces wearing identical looks of worry. "You look terrible."

"Yeah, you didn't get enough sleep last night or what?" Wally added.

Stifling an incoming yawn the British boy removed his shades to rub his eyes, forcing a weak smile. "It's nothing, guys," he assured groggily, "nothing at all…"

…If one considered sitting bolt upright in his bed, panting and in a cold sweat at four in the morning, after awakening from a dream – no, _nightmare_ – of Rachel and that gorilla Gregory holding hands, swaying in rhythm with 'Romeo and Juliet' and dancing further and further away from him while he, unable to move a muscle for some reason, was fruitlessly crying out and begging her to come back to him, and finishing with the two leaning in for a wet kiss as 'nothing', that is.

Nigel quickly shrugged it off. That nightmare meant _nothing _to him whatsoever. It wasn't as though he was afraid Rachel would leave him for another guy like _DeMarco_ or anything. The idea was simply _ludicrous_ in itself; Rachel would never, ever abandon him, her best friend in the whole wide world.

…_Would_ she??

Rachel would have to leave him one day; it was inevitable. After all, what young woman didn't want to fall in love, get married, have lots of children and live in a house with a white-picket fence, far away from their old homes and lives? Sooner or later, she would surely leave her best friend behind and live happily ever after, in a bright and colorful future with the new man in her life. And by right, Nigel – as her best friend – should be feeling happy for her.

So then… why did he feel his blood run cold at the thought of her leaving his side forever?

He tried to imagine times without Rachel; times without her sunny smiles and disposition, her laughter, her no-nonsense Supreme Leader attitude on-duty, her witty remarks… times without sharing a plate of tiramisu at Swenson's…

No. The mere thought of living without those things, without _her,_ made him feel physically ill.

"Erm, Numbuh 1? Hellooo?" Hoagie's voice broke through his thoughts; the goggle-boy was rapidly waving a hand in front of him, trying to get his attention. "You feeling okay?"

"Wha –? Yeah, I'm fine, Numbuh 2," Nigel lied. "Just a bit under the weather today is all."

"Well, I know something that'll make you feel a _lot_ better," Kuki suggested, pointing behind Nigel and grinning. "Shirley's here."

Nigel whirled around; sure enough, sitting in a corner of the cafeteria was Shirley Fenette herself. And the auburn-haired girl's usual entourage was absent, leaving her all by herself. "Looks like Lady Luck's smilin' on ya today, boss-man," Abby stated, smirking. "She's given you a perfect opportunity to ask Numbuh 81 to the dance."

Immediately the British boy was frantic. "Oh no… does my breath stink? Do I smell bad? Is my hair in order? Am I balding again? Do my clothes look presentable?? Do I –"

As Sector V collapsed into helpless laughter at his comical display, Rachel leaned across the table and grabbed his shoulders. "Breathe, soldier! _Breathe!!_" she ordered, shaking him. As soon as Nigel calmed down she continued, "Now, just go on over to Numbuh 81, say hello, state your intentions, confess your undying love for her and ask her out to the dance. Nothing to it."

"You're right, Rachel," Nigel replied, nodding. "I'm just getting worked up for nothing. This is my final chance, and I _have_ to make it count, no matter what." He rose to his feet. "Well, wish me luck, guys."

"You go, dude!" Wally encouraged, winking and flashing him a thumbs-up along with the others. The fake grin Rachel was currently wearing, however, could have won the Academy Award for Best Performance.

Nigel smiled bravely, before turning around and striding off… completely oblivious to the droop in Rachel's eyes as she watched him go.

**-XXX-**

_Okay, Uno old bean, you can do this thing,_ Nigel chanted to himself as he approached Shirley. _It's just like Rachel said; there's nothing to it._ As soon as he was right beside her he cleared his throat. "Um… h-h-hi," he stammered, lacing his fingers together and shuffling his feet nervously.

The auburn-haired girl looked up from her Physics textbook, and a smile spread across her lovely face at the familiar sight of one of her classmates and fellow TND operatives. "Oh, hi!" she greeted cheerfully. "You're Numbuh 1, right?"

Nigel nodded vigorously, his heart skipping a beat at the fact that the girl of his dreams actually _knew_ who he was. "Hey, um… Numbuh 81? Can I ask you something?"

Shirley looked at him curiously, which Nigel took as a sign to continue. "Numbuh Ei – Shirley, do you, err…"

"Yes?" Shirley prompted.

For a terrifying moment Nigel felt as though his tongue had tied itself into knots. "Err… umm… wangodanwimetanite??" he asked, the words tumbling out of his mouth in a rush.

Shirley blinked. "I beg your pardon?" she asked, "I didn't quite catch that."

Nigel took a deep, calming breath. "Shirley, do you – do you want to go to the dance with me tonight?" _Why _did he have to go red now?! WHY?!

"Oh!" said Shirley, a faint blush coloring her cheeks as well. "W-well, I'm flattered, Nigel, I really am… but unfortunately, you're too late; someone's already asked me." She smiled apologetically. "Sorry."

At those words Nigel felt his heart deflate and the butterflies that were flying around in his stomach die off and wither away into nothingness. His face fell. "N-No, _I_ should be the one apologizing… you know, for – for wasting your time," he said, giving her a strained smile. "I'm sorry."

"It's quite all right; you didn't," Shirley assured. "So… I'll be seeing you around, then?"

Nigel shrugged. "Yeah, guess so," he replied. "Well – bye then." With that the Brit turned around and slowly trudged back towards his table.

Was he sad? Most definitely.

Was he disappointed? Very much so.

Was he crushed, depressed and heartbroken to the point where life was meaningless to him, like that time when Lizzie left him?

…Oddly enough, he wasn't.

Instead, he felt as though a very heavy burden had finally been lifted off his shoulders. He felt lighter… _freer_. Not at all like how a person would describe a guy who had just been turned down by the girl he loved –

– Or _did_ he?

_No!!_ Of course he loved Shirley! He loved her with all his heart and soul. He couldn't live without her; she was everything he ever wanted in a perfect soul mate, a perfect wife to spend the rest of his life with. They were a practically a match made in Heaven, for crying out loud!

…Weren't they??

But they _must_ be! Who else but Shirley would the one for him, his 'Mrs. Right'? Who _else??_

"So, Numbuh 1, how did it go?" Hoagie asked as Nigel approached them.

"Did she say yes?" Abby enquired.

"Ooh, ooh! I bet she went all '_Oh, Numbuh 1, I thought you'd _never_ ask! Of _course _I'll be your date for the dance_'!!" Kuki gushed excitedly, starry-eyed. "Right, Numbuh 1? Right??"

Nigel simply shook his head sadly as he sat down. "She said 'no'," he muttered.

A long, awkward silence followed that statement. "Tough luck, dude," Wally said sympathetically, patting his friend's shoulder.

"Oh, Nigel… I'm so sorry," Rachel whispered, her gray eyes softening as she walked forward and wrapped her best friend in an embrace, comforting him along with the others.

Only one thought passed through Nigel's mind at the moment, as he returned the embrace: _Rachel…_

**-XXX-**

"She rejected me, Rachel," Nigel mumbled forlornly, sitting on the couch in Rachel's living room, his face in his hands, "It's just as I've always feared; after two years, all of my wishes, hopes and dreams have finally been crushed into irreparable pieces." For what seemed to be the hundredth time that day he gave vent to another loud sigh.

Rachel smiled in understanding, handing her British friend a plate of makeshift tiramisu from her kitchen refrigerator. "Here, you look like you could use some of this," she suggested.

"Thanks." Nigel accepted it, taking a bite out of the pleasantly-cold dessert. "What's _wrong_ with me, Rachel?!" he demanded.

She blinked, caught off guard by his sudden vehemence. "Huh??"

"Take a long, good look at me and tell me the truth," said Nigel. "Do I lack some sort of special quality Numbuh 81 wants in her ideal guy?"

His question was met with a frown. "Why are you asking me this?"

"…Because you're a girl."

Rachel snorted. "My, aren't we observant today."

"This is not the time to be sarcastic, Rachel!" Nigel sulked, "I'm asking a serious question that needs a serious answer here!"

"Well then, let me tell you this seriously, Numbuh 1," Rachel replied. "I _don't _know."

"In that case, why don't you tell me what _your_ ideal guy is like?"

Rachel sighed. "It's not that simple, Nigel," she explained patiently. "The 'ideal guy' is different for each girl. For example, a girl might like a guy for his athleticism, big muscles and biceps. Other Eves might like their Adams tall and slim, or bookworm-y or techno-savvy. And other females would look for a male with a meek personality, a fiery temper or a kind and sensitive heart. The varieties are endless!"

"Then what is it about me that drives females away?" asked Nigel, scratching the back of his head in frustration.

"Hmm, I don't know, maybe it's your breath."

"Hey! My breath does _not_ stink!" Nigel defended. "…Does it?"

She leaned towards his mouth and sniffed his breath carefully. And then her eyes widened. "Just as I suspected…" she whispered.

He paled. "Oh no… it _does _stink, doesn't it?!"

"…You use mint-flavored _Colgate_ toothpaste!" she exclaimed in a mock dramatic fashion, pointing an accusing finger in his face.

Nigel fell over anime-style. "That's _not_ funny, Numbuh 362!" he snapped as soon as he got back to his feet, glaring at the laughing blond-haired girl. "This could mean that no girl might ever find me attractive enough for even _one_ date! If bad breath is the problem, then I _must_ remedy it immediately!!"

Rachel stopped giggling, although the corners of her mouth still twitched. "Well, seeing as you're so pathetically desperate, I guess I'll help you this once." She studied his face from side to side, tapping her finger against her chin thoughtfully. "Hmm… you're not too bad-looking. In fact, most guys would kill to have your looks. You have a much better personality than most cavemen, and you actually possess a brain in that head of yours, which is more than I can say for most guys I know. The only problem I would most likely find in you is… ah-_ha_!!" she cried out, hitting her fist against her palm in revelation. "I have it now! They think you're _gay_!!"

Insert a moment of shocked silence. "They think I'm _what _now?!" Nigel exclaimed, looking more than a little green.

"It's just a theory, of course," Rachel quickly added, "but a logical one. They think you're not interested in the opposite gender at all and thus, they dismiss you. I wouldn't be _too_ surprised if I were you: your bestest best friend is a girl of all people, you're obsessed with studying and your KND/TND duties, you don't like sports very much, you don't pass any perverted comments to passing females, you're always polite and cordial to them, and THAT would certainly explain why your 'perfect' relationship with Lizzie fell apart so quickly three years ago. It all makes perfect sense now!" She sighed, shaking her head sadly.

"Tsk, tsk… poor Numbuh 1… _so_ misunderstood…"

Nigel looked uneasy. "Well, isn't there some way to show them that I'm not – err – playing for the other team?"

She shrugged. "Don't ask me; I just report the findings. The analyzing and solving is entirely up to you."

There was a silence as Nigel thought for a moment, and then he snapped his fingers. "I have an idea!"

Rachel raised an eyebrow. "Really? What is it?"

Turning to the blonde Supreme Leader of the TND, Nigel looked directly into her eyes. "Kiss me."

**-XXX-**

Not too far away, Harvey Mackenzie froze in mid-step, an odd shiver running down his spine. "What's the matter?" Paddy asked beside him.

"Something's wrong," Harvey replied, his eyes darting around his surroundings furtively. "Something big is about to happen; I can _feel_ it."

Paddy looked around him before waving a hand dismissively. "I don't see anything wrong; it's probably just your paranoia-induced imagination acting up again." Impatiently he clapped his hand against the Global Tactical Officer's shoulder. "Now hurry up or we'll miss the bus."

"Don't touch me," Harvey muttered automatically, although his mind was somewhere else.

**-XXX-**

There was the sound of crickets chirping in the background as Rachel stared at her best friend for a long moment, her jaw hitting the ground. "S-SAY _WHAT_?!" she all but screamed.

Nigel smiled. "I read somewhere in an encyclopedia that a kiss can stimulate the primitive urges of a human being," he said. "So, if I should experience a kiss from a female, then perhaps it just might reawaken the hormonal biological instincts in me. And by doing so, I can prove to myself and everyone else that I am definitely _not _homosexually inclined."

Rachel scowled mightily, her face turning an interesting shade of pink. "Oh, so I'm going to be used as some kind of human guinea pig for your evil experiments for your own twisted and selfish ends, is that it?" she retorted snappily.

"Don't think of it as an experiment. Think of it as a… new experience between two best friends. Besides, we all know it is scientifically unsound if my kisses make the one I'm kissing awaken to life from death," said Nigel.

The older Mackenzie scrunched up her face. "Spoken like a _true_ man of science, 'Numbuh 2'. Now let me repeat my scientific review from yesterday night: this is by far the _dumbest_ idea you've given me yet!!" She threw up her hands in exasperation. "I thought you were smart, but boy, was I _wrong!_ There is absolutely, positively NO way I am going to become a test subject to your rusty, out-of-practice lips. What if a kiss from you sends me into a horror-induced coma or something?"

Nigel's lips twitched. "Come now; if Lizzie could survive them, I doubt my kisses are _that_ life-threatening. Besides, as best friends, a simple lip-lock would mean nothing to either one of us. And it's not like this is the first time you've ever been kissed, right?"

Actually, it was. But Rachel was not about to divulge _that_ particular piece of information. "Even so… why can't you find some other girl to play lip-lock with?" she asked frantically, "Why _me_??"

"Hmm, let's see… maybe it's because you're the only one out of my three female friends who is currently unattached?" Nigel suggested.

She continued to look unconvinced despite of the valid (at least to him) point Nigel made, and soon he began to grow desperate. "Please, boss-lady? Pretty please with a large slice of tiramisu and whipped cream with strawberry syrup and chocolate wafers and discs on top? After all, best friends always help each other out whenever they're in a pinch, right? And you _wouldn'_t want me to go through an uncertain sexuality complex for the rest of my life, now would you?" he pleaded.

Still Rachel hesitated. It was time to unleash the heavy artillery. "Pwetty _Pweeeeease??_" Nigel begged; his lower lip stuck out, and his eyes widened and took on an innocent, sparkling look as he arranged his face into his patented Adorable Chibi Face of Doom ©.

_Argh… I hate it when he gives me that look_, Rachel thought, _Must resist the Face… must resist the Face… must resi –_

"Fine… I guess one kiss wouldn't hurt," the Supreme Leader muttered reluctantly. _NO!! I couldn't resist! Crud!!_ "But only ONE, you hear me? After that, I'm going to march straight to the bathroom and rinse my mouth, brush my teeth and floss at least _seven_ times!!" she declared, making a disgusted face.

Nigel raised one hand solemnly, palm facing outwards. "I promise that I always brush my teeth at least three times a day, so my breath should be clean and minty-fresh to spare you from any potential mouth-polluting and radical teeth flossing. All right, let's get started then, shall we?" He placed the half-eaten slice of tiramisu on the coffee table and stood up.

"Now, if you would come closer to me, please?"

By now Rachel was beginning to have second thoughts about the whole thing. "Err, Nigel? M-Maybe this isn't such a good idea after all…" she began.

Nigel waved a hand. "Nonsense, a kiss is all I ask from you. Surely it's the least you can give me, as my best friend."

"B-But think of the consequ –"

"Rachel, I'm about to kiss you now," Nigel interrupted, slowly walking towards Rachel. Soon he was right in front of her, at face level. "Relax; this will be swift and succinct, I promise you."

"But I –"

"Rachel, _please_…"

"But you –"

Any further protest from Rachel was cut off as Nigel grabbed her shoulders, pulled her towards him and pressed his lips against hers.

– **TRANSMISSION INTERRUPTED –**

* * *

Author's Notes

Heh, I've always wanted to put 'Transmission Interrupted' in. And yes, this story is a multi-chaptered one; I estimate it to be around six chapters at most.

**To DarkMike14:** Ask, and ye shall receive!

Ah, the Overprotective Younger Brother… one of the things I love about writing 1x362 stories.

Review if you'd like.


	4. Stage 04: In the Name of Friendship

**…Standing By…**

**Signal Found… Reestablishing Connection…**

**…Continuing Transmission…**

**Operation: T.I.R.A.M.I.S.U.**

Stage – 04: In the Name of Friendship

Harvey walked down the path towards his house's front door, a frown on his face. Throughout the entire bus ride home, the TND's Global Tactical Officer couldn't shake the nagging feeling at the back of his mind, a feeling that something was _very_ wrong. Earlier Numbuh 85 had dismissed it as paranoia, and as his hand reached towards the doorknob, Harvey was inclined to believe it…

…Until he opened the door, that is.

Immediately his eyes bugged out and his jaw fell open in shock at the sight that greeted him: his sister and Numbuh 1 were on the couch, right in the middle of his own living room. And they were _kissing_.

Within a split-second shock swiftly turned into anger, as a pulsing vein appeared in the buck-toothed operative's temple; his overprotective brother-instincts were in overdrive, shrilly screaming at him to charge forward, beat the living daylights out of that – that – _interloper_, and demand that he release his big sister Leader this very instant!!

However, just as Harvey was rolling up his sleeves, he stopped short; a memory had surfaced in his mind's eye, a memory of an unintended confession of Rachel's, two years previously…

"_He's in love… in love with someone else…"_

_13-year old Harvey looked up from his television program to find his blonde sister running up the stairs into her bedroom, rubbing at her eyes and mumbling incoherently as she went. He frowned as the door shut with a bang; were those_ tears _running down her cheeks…?_

_Worried, he got up from the couch and followed her into her room, intending to ask his older sister exactly what made her cry, before hunting the reason down and making it wish it'd never been born. He opened the door, and found her lying down on her bed crying bitterly, her face buried in her pillow._

"_Rachel?" he called out softly, "Sis, what's wrong?"_

_She didn't answer at first; her shoulders continued to shake uncontrollably as she sobbed. "Rachel?" Harvey repeated._

_Finally Rachel slowly raised her head, her eyes red and her cheeks stained from crying. Below her, her pillow was completely soaked with tears. "H-Harvey…" he sniffed._

_Numbuh 363 felt his heart ache at the sight of his sister's state. Quickly he sat down beside her on the bed and gently touched her shoulder. "What's wrong, Sis?" he asked, "Come on, you can tell me. Who made you cry?" It must have been something pretty bad, he assumed, for throughout his whole life Harvey had never seen his sister shed a tear. Not since she was seven, when her beloved pet hamster, Happy, died. _

"_I'm not crying!!" she protested, "I'm just… a little upset, that's all."_

_Harvey nodded obligingly. "Okay then, why are you so upset?"_

"_It's –" Rachel hiccupped, "– it's Nigel."_

"_Numbuh 1?" Instantly Harvey's eyes narrowed at the name of the operative he strongly disliked. If _he_ did anything to his sister, he was going to –! "What did he do to you?" he demanded._

"_He didn't do anything to me," Rachel replied. "It was what he said."_

"_What did he say?"_

_Rachel sighed sadly and shook her head. "It's nothing important," she muttered. "I'm just getting overemotional. Must be a girl problem or something…"_

_Harvey frowned. "Don't give me that, Sis," he said. "I'm your brother, and I know you better than anyone. You're not like most girls and you don't bawl your eyes out for no rhyme or reason." He looked directly in her face. "Now, what exactly did Numbuh 1 say to you?" he repeated._

"_He…"_ _Rachel paused to wipe her eyes, "He said he was in love with Shirley Fenette." _

"_Shirley Fenette? You mean Numbuh 81?"_

_Rachel nodded. "And… I guess I'll just have to… to face facts and accept them. I'm nothing more than his buddy-buddy and boss-lady to him, that's all…" She looked away. "I mean, who would _ever_ see me as more than that…?" she murmured in a faraway tone. Unnoticed by her, Harvey's gray eyes widened as sudden realization dawned on him._

_His sister was deeply in love, and she had it bad for her own best friend._

_Still, he kept quiet, as he highly doubted Rachel would appreciate it very much if she knew he had sniffed out her feelings for the British boy. "Harvey?" Rachel suddenly spoke, "Could you – could you please leave me for a while? I-I want to be alone…"_

_Harvey nodded understandingly, getting to his feet. "Okay… but if you ever need someone to talk to, you know I'm right next door."_

_Numbuh 362 nodded, smiling gratefully at him. "Thanks, Bro."_

Harvey's eyes softened, and the homicidal expression on his face was replaced by a small, gentle smile as he relaxed; he wasn't a heartless cad, contrary to the popular rumors in the KND/TND. He knew he had no right whatsoever to rob his only sister of her small piece of happiness, even if the source of said happiness was – in his humble opinion – an arrogant Bantam rooster with a wannabe James Bond-accent and an unnatural obsession with shades, who strutted around as though he owned the place.

As quietly as possible, so as not to disturb the couple, Harvey closed the door and walked away, whistling a tune. He'd been meaning to check out that new comic book store down the street anyway.

**-XXX-**

Tiramisu.

For a very long time, Rachel had always dreamed, wondered what it would be like to kiss Nigel, what he would taste like. And now she knew.

He tasted like tiramisu.

It was hardly a surprise, since he _did _eat some of it a few minutes ago… but how could it taste so incredibly _sexy_, so 'I-want-to-bake-cookies-on-him-and-eat-them' _hot_ when it was on his lips?

And the fact that it was also the flavor of her most favorite dessert didn't help matters any.

The Brit's lips were soft, tender and warm against hers, gentle, alluring and coaxing. Instantly Rachel was under their hypnotic influence, putty in Nigel's hands. When he probed her mouth, she eagerly complied and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling his head down and deepening the kiss. A part of her wanted this moment to never end, to last forever.

That was not to be, however.

When they finally broke apart for air, several minutes later, Rachel was weak in the knees. Both figuratively and literally.

By Numbuh Zero's glasses, if _that_ was how Nigel kissed… then Lizzie had to be a complete and utter _idiot_ to break up with him!!

Nigel cleared his throat, breaking the silence. "So, how was it?" he enquired, "Was it good… or bad?"

Bad?! That was the most amazing, phenomenal, and _mind-blowing_ experience Rachel had ever been subjected to! She was still feeling lightheaded from the lingering aftereffects of their lip-lock, like she'd been to Heaven and back, and it was fortunate that Nigel was still holding her by the shoulders, or else she would have fallen flat on her face to the floor.

It was a while before her temporarily-shut down brain managed to reboot itself. "I-It wasn't _too_ bad," she replied, smiling weakly. "In fact, I think I can safely conclude that you're definitely _not_ gay. If your kisses are like that, Nigel Uno, I can guarantee that every girl will be falling over themselves to ask you to be their boyfriend, never mind Shirley."

Nigel blinked, confused. Shirley who? …Oh, _right!_ Shirley Fenette! Numbuh 81, the girl he was supposed to be hopelessly in love with!! Odd, _how_ could he forget the name of the (supposed) love of his life so quickly??

His pensive gaze shifted subconsciously to Rachel's lips. Until now, he had never noticed before just how gorgeously-curved and temptingly kissable they really were…

…_And I'm going insane. Snap out of it, Uno!!_ He thought, mentally slapping himself._ This is_ Numbuh 362 _you're talking about here, not some other girl! She's your best friend and boss!! You do _not_ think inappropriate thoughts about your best friend and boss. It's against the universal laws of friendship and boss-employee relationships!!_

After all, it was a known fact that it was much easier to turn friendship into love, than love into friendship. He shouldn't have feelings for his best friend and boss and ruin their special friendship altogether.

So imagine his horror when he felt the rising urge to grab her and kiss her again.

"_And what did I tell you earlier on, hmm?" _his inner chatterbox drawled.

_What the – it's _you _again!! What do I have to do to get rid of you?!_

"_You_ can't. _May I remind you that I am your own 'mind', Uno? Even if you hit your head against the wall a buhmillion times, I'd still be here. Well, you'll be suffering from massive blood loss and maybe permanent brain damage… but yep, I'd still be here."_

_But I was never tortured by_ you _until yesterday!!_

"_Ah, yes… ever since Rachel accepted Mr. Gregory Proof-that-human-evolution-can-go-in-reverse DeMarco's invitation to the school dance. I've always been 'here', Uno old chap, ever since the day you were born; I only grew fifty times louder when your _obstinate_ little brain didn't want to process something _very_ important because you were having a severe case of denial. Speaking of which, I'm _astounded_; you _still_ haven't caught the hint yet??"_

_If you mean the 'hint' that I'm on the verge of being three fries short of a Happy Meal, then yeah, I've got it all right,_ Nigel retorted mentally.

"_Hmph. Stubborn as a mule… but then again, since I AM your mind, I guess I have to be equally stubborn as well, don't you agree?"_

…_I refuse to listen to any more of this pointless _garbage_. As of right now, I'm going to shut you out of my head. Good-_bye!!

Rachel blinked. Nigel had zoned out. "Err… Nigel? Numbuh 1, are you alright?" she asked uncertainly, waving a hand in his face.

"Huh? Wha –?" said Nigel, "Oh, Rachel! Err… I – I have to… err… go home to do some… err… chores. Thanks for, umm, helping me out. You really are a true friend." Nigel let go of Rachel, and smiled gratefully before calmly turning and walking out of the house.

There was a heartbroken look on the blonde's face as she slowly sat down on her couch, heaving a heavy sigh. _Now_ what had she gone and done? She might as well have signed her own death warrant!!

For now that she had a taste of his kisses… she wasn't sure she could live _without_ them.

Meanwhile, as Nigel closed the front door behind him, he shut his eyes and took a deep breath. _I will NOT fall for my best friend_, he told himself firmly, _I will NOT think of her lips. And I will NOT think of kissing her again. It's stupid, wrong, improper and immoral. _

"…"

_What, _he silently demanded, _no smart, witty comeback this time??_

"_I _would_ offer several… but it wouldn't do any good at this point. Just know this, Nigel old bean: Rachel won't always be there for you. Someday, inevitably, she's going to leave you for another man in her life. And when that day comes, please do remember that I _did_ try to warn you…"_

Nigel gritted his teeth. Sometimes he _really_ hated his mind.

**-XXX-**

When Nigel finally reached his room, he switched on his computer, trying to distract his mind with a good game of computer pinball.

But just like last night, the British boy couldn't seem to find any interest in video games. He kept glancing at the clock on his table, wondering if Rachel was in the middle of preparing for the school dance… with _DeMarco_.

With a chorus of beeps the words 'GAME OVER' appeared on his screen. "It's not worth wasting a single brain cell thinking of something so useless. After all, the dance is for couples only; you, on the other hand, don't have a date," he muttered to himself sternly. "There are much better things to do than thinking of –"

_Rachel._

Abruptly Nigel shut his computer off and rose to his feet.

He told himself, as he exited the house, he only wanted to check on Rachel. To see how Gregory might be (mis)treating her. He told himself he was only thinking of his best friend's interests… that the reason why he was presently storming over to Rachel's house and hiding behind some bushes was only out of platonic concern, a friend looking out for another friend, nothing more.

So why did he feel like a jealous boyfriend spying on her?

"It's Numbuh 363's job to play the overprotective brother, not me," Nigel muttered.

So why was he kneeling down here for??

"Because I care for my best friend," he muttered again.

Yep, he had finally gone stark raving _mad_. He was talking to himself. And out loud. Hopefully no one heard or else they would have caught him and placed him, bound and gagged, in the Looney Bin.

Thankfully for him, he didn't need to wait long for her reappearance. At exactly 6:30 P.M., the door to Rachel's house opened and Rachel herself descended from the steps of her home. Instantly Nigel's eyes widened, his breath catching in his throat.

For the Supreme Leader of the TND was dressed in the most stunning red dress decorated with glitter, one that revealed her shoulders and beautifully accentuated her figure. Elbow-length gloves covered her hands. Matching red ribbons adorned her golden-colored hair; her usual ponytail was undone, allowing her long tresses to fall around her shoulders. She had even applied some light make-up and jewelry on herself.

And this was from the person who claimed she didn't care very much about make-up.

Within the bushes Nigel could only stare, entranced. Throughout the time he'd known her, he'd never seen his best friend wear a dress before. Heck, he even thought she was going to the dance dressed in her usual pants and sweater!

Damn, he was thinking, Rachel was _beautiful_.

On second thought, scratch 'beautiful'. She was nothing short of HOT.

And when he saw Gregory stop his blue Subaru Forester in front of Rachel and roll down his window to wolf-whistle lustily at her, he had a primal, almost overpowering urge to march towards the gorilla, wrench him out of the vehicle and _throttle_ the very life out of him.

A momentary stab of guilt pricked at his conscience. After all, it was _extremely_ rude and indecent to spy on other people.

_But,_ he thought, his eyes narrowing into slits and his hands curling into fists as he watched Gregory's beefy arm snake itself around Rachel's waist, _it's all in the name of friendship…_

**-XXX-**

Rachel frowned. She didn't know what was worse, the fact that Gregory the Jock-Ass's arm was presently looped around her waist and its owner himself acting too intimately for her liking, or the fact that she had the strange feeling that someone was watching their every move.

"All right, baby, we're here!" Gregory announced as he climbed out of his Subaru, dragging Rachel with him.

"How many times do I have to tell you before it _finally_ drives into your unbelievably thick skull, you imbecilic moron?! I – AM – _NOT_ – A – CRUDDY – _BABY!!_" the blonde snapped heatedly, bolts of concentrated destruction leaping from her eyes. At that moment she felt like tearing her hair out – or rather, tearing _Gregory's_ hair out in sheer, unadulterated exasperation.

Gregory merely gave an irritating smirk. "Sure, whatever you say, _bay-beh_," he said patronizingly, and dragged her through the doors of the school gym, where the dance was held. Hormone-driven teenagers danced their feet off to the rock music being played by the DJ, and there were several long tables joined together and laden with an assortment of fruit punches and a massive smorgasbord of food.

And Gregory, like the uncivilized Neanderthal he was, attacked the food first, voraciously going to it like a shark to raw meat.

_How…romantic_, Rachel deadpanned inwardly, as her 'date' messily devoured his third helping of chicken drumsticks, shrimp kebabs, lasagna, chocolate ice cream and cranberry punch, much to the horrified disgust of a nearby Lelouch Lamperouge and several members of the Student Council. At the current rate Gregory was going, she half-expected the football player's stomach to explode at any moment from the massive onslaught of food.

_This is my chance,_ she thought, trying not to look at Gregory's barbaric guzzling. _Maybe he won't be able to notice me if I slip away _oh-_so-quietly…_ Rachel turned around, about to carefully sidle off into the crowd.

Unfortunately, she wasn't quick enough. "Hey, where are you going, Rachel?" Gregory asked in-between mouthfuls of shrimp kebab and chicken (a disgusting sight) as he grabbed her arm yet again, roughly pulling her along with him. "We still haven't done our dance yet!"

_I swear, if he drags me around like some dog on a leash _one_ more time, I will make him PAY!!_ Rachel fumed.

Completely ignorant of her silent raging, Gregory dragged Rachel behind the gym, away from the dancing bodies and loud music. Several minutes later they were outside, where Gregory continued to lead her into a dark, not-promisingly secluded corner of the building. "Where do you think you're taking me, Gregory?" she demanded uneasily.

"Oh, nothing much, I'm just giving you some romance, baby… and a romance is _never_ complete without a big, wet kiss in the dark, now is it?" Gregory replied, a devilish grin on his face.

Then without warning, the sandy-haired gorilla stopped and grabbed her shoulders, pinning her against the wall before she could even react. Rachel stiffened when she felt his right hand sliding down and snaking around her waist. He began to lean down, his lips puckering up.

Her eye twitched violently; the blonde's first TND instinct was to _slap_ the stuffing out of him.

The second was to brutally knee him in the gut before giving him the butt-whooping of his life.

The third was to kick him where the sun doesn't shine… _hard_.

However, Rachel did neither of those things, nor did she have the chance to, because someone had already come up from behind Gregory and ominously intoned three words:

"Let. Her. _Go_."

* * *

Author's Notes

…I have GOT to do cliffhangers more often.

Rachel's pet hamster (Happy) is named after a hamster of the same name I owned, which died at the ripe old age of three six years ago.

I just had to add Lelouch in at one point, after I included Shirley in Stage – 01. And credit for the word 'jock-ass' goes to **Nigel's Leading Woman**.

Saw _The Dark Knight_; completely blew me away. Heath Ledger (may Kami bless his soul) is now officially my idol.

**Joker:** "How about a magic trick?" (-places end of sticky-pencil on table, point facing upwards-) "I'll make this pencil… _disappear_." (-slams thug's head on pointed end of pencil, killing him-) "Ta-da! It's _gone_!"

My favorite part in the whole film.

Review if you'd like.


	5. Stage 05: Dysfunctional Family Advice

**Operation: T.I.R.A.M.I.S.U**.

(Six years ago)

_An 11-year old Nigel and Rachel were at the park admiring at the sunset together. The blonde girl was sitting on the bench, while the bald shade-wearing boy leaned against a tree nearby. They had just completed an extremely strenuous mission today, and they wanted to take the chance to relax._

_This particular section of the park was on a hill which overlooked the town, which provided a stunning view of the sunset. And the two operatives considered this place to be their very own private spot, due to the trees hiding it from view. No one else knew of this spot save themselves, not even Sector V… which made it that much more magical._

_As the skies slowly enveloped the vista and stroked it with a magnificent blend of dark orange and red hues, Rachel turned her steel-gray eyes to Nigel and called out shyly, "Numbuh 1?"_

_Her best friend glanced at her. "What is it, Numbuh 362?"_

_Rachel blushed and looked down at her hands. "We'll…we'll always be best friends, right?" she asked. "Even – even if we get decommissioned two years from now, will you always be there for me, by my side? Because I never want to be apart from you…not now… not_ ever_…"_

_Nigel was silent as he watched the sun slowly set below the horizon. And then he smiled softly to himself._

"_Yes, Rachel…" he murmured, "We will always be best friends, even after we're thirteen. And I promise that will _always_ be there for you."_

…Always…

Stage – 05: Dysfunctional Family Advice

(Present Day)

Rachel's eyes widened at the sudden voice. Was that… _Nigel_??

No, she wasn't imagining things. Her best friend was really standing behind Gregory. And to say that he did not look happy at all was a severely _gross_ understatement.

Gregory flashed the British boy a superior smirk. "Well, well, well," he drawled lazily, "if it isn't Rachel's little French bodyguard. What's the matter, feeling angry because she's decided that you're no longer the only guy in her life now??"

Rachel shot the gorilla a look filled with corrosive venom at that statement. Since when did she decide that _he_ was a part of her life… unless one counted him as a royal pain in the posterior?

Nigel seemed to sense her unspoken sentiments. "I really don't give a tinker's toot if you're the bloody President of the United States," he grated as he smiled through gritted teeth, his voice low and deadly, "Now, either do as I say and let Rachel go…or _else_."

Gregory laughed scornfully, as though the Brit had just announced that he was the Grim Reaper himself, come to take his soul. "Ooooh, I'm _so_ scared!" he mocked in a fake frightened voice, "What're you gonna do, Frenchie, gnaw on my ankle? _Bore_ me to death with your reading? _Ha!!_ You probably couldn't even twist my little fi –"

_**POW!!**_

And Gregory was cut off – and swiftly proven wrong – as Nigel's fist _slammed_ into the center of his face with great force, sending the star football player of Gallagher High flying through the air and crashing against the wall. Gregory crumpled to the ground, knocked out cold.

Rachel winced sympathetically. "Ouch; I think you broke his nose."

"Why should you care? I say he looks _way_ better with a crooked nose anyway," Nigel snapped, rubbing his sore knuckles. Damn it, he had just saved her from potential violation of honor at Mr. Gregory-Jock-Ass-DeMarco's hands and she was actually feeling _sorry_ for him instead?!

"Well, _excuse_ me, Nigel Uno! At least Gregory doesn't go around spying on people like some agent from the Secret Service!" Rachel shot back. "Now what the crud were you skulking around in the bushes for? Have you become some kind of perverted stalker who prowls on innocent couples on dates during the dead of night?!"

"'Perverted stalker'? Well I never!!" echoed Nigel in incredulity and indignation. "I just _saved_ you from him and this is the thanks I get? Well, you're very welcome!"

Rachel scowled. "In case you haven't noticed, Nigel, I'm seventeen. I can take care of myself perfectly; I'm not the TND's Supreme Leader for nothing, you know," she replied. She looked at him curiously. "Why are you acting like this anyway? You may be pretty tough, but violence isn't your forte, if I recall correctly."

Her azure-eyed friend sighed. "I don't know…" he muttered, "I guess I was just concerned for you, so I… well, I decided to come over, and saw you and him together…and then I saw how he was handling you, so –"

"And you care, why?"

"Because I don't like it, that's why!!" Nigel burst out.

Rachel froze. "What?"

"I sacrificed a whole night to myself to watch over you, a night which I could've spent revising, reading or playing my video games!" snapped Nigel, a sneer on his face. "I'm sorry if it wasn't appreciated!"

There was a very long silence. And then, it was as though a dam had burst inside of Rachel; years of pent-up anger, resentment, bitterness and despair gushed out like a river that had burst its banks during the raining season, years of having to hide those emotions for her best friend's sake now came rushing up. And she couldn't seem to stop the tsunami of words that erupted from her mouth next.

For Nigel's last statement was the final straw that broke the donkey's back. No more hiding, no more Miss Nice Supreme Leader.

"Sacrifice?! You don't know what you're talking about, Nigel Uno," said Rachel, her voice eerily calm and composed, "You want to know what real sacrifice is? It's when you willingly give up your own happiness for that of the one you love. It's when you follow the one you love around, worshipping the ground he walks on and willing to do _anything_ for him, for his sake, for eleven years. It's when you risk incarceration in the Arctic Prison and expulsion from the KND when you alter his records, so he could get in the TND. It's when you're so willing to do anything for him, that you even give up your freaking first kiss to him, so you could help him find out whether or not he was gay!

"I've been keeping this locked up within my heart for far too long: somewhere along the line, I fell in love with you. Yes, you heard me; I fell in love with you, Nigel Uno. And even when you were with Lizzie, even when you had your crush on Numbuh 81, I _still_ stood by you… I never stopped loving you, not once. But now I see that no matter how many sacrifices I make for that love, they still don't mean _squat_ to you. And that I mean nothing more to you than your books, video games and studies. I'm sorry if every sacrifice_ I_ made for _you_ wasn't appreciated."

By now the British boy's jaw was open in shock. The blonde turned her back on him, refusing to let him see the tears that were now leaking from her eyes and flowing down her cheeks. "Thank you f-f-for helping me all those years ago, Numbuh 1," she choked out. "T…Thank you for being m-my first and best friend, and for being a reliable operative and partner. And most of all… thank you for all the w-wonderful slices of tiramisu you shared with me. I'll never forget them."

"Rachel, wait –" Nigel reached out for her, but it was too late; she had already run off.

As soon as she was gone from his sight, Nigel dearly wanted to hit himself, pummel himself to a pulp. How the crud could he have been so _blind, _so _ignorant_ all those years?!

"_Well done! And it took you only about eleven years and five months to figure it all out. That's gotta be a record!"_

_Rub it in, why don't you?!_

"_Hey, don't blame_ me. _You got yourself into this mess in the first place. Now you've broken her heart – not that you haven't done so for the last eleven years because of your god-damned obliviousness – but you can at least pick up the pieces, put them back permanently and make it up to her,"_ his 'mind' replied._ "Well? What are you waiting for?! Don't just stand there like an idiot! Go after her!!"_

_I-I can't, _Nigel faltered,_ Not just yet._

If his 'mind' had a physical form, it would have shrugged. _"Suit yourself. Oh, and one more thing…"_

_What?_

"_I BLOODY TOLD YOU SO!!"_

And as though adding further insult to his injury, there was the rumble of thunder overhead, before a shower of rain followed.

**-XXX-**

The next week was sheer despair for Nigel. Ever since the incident at the school dance, Rachel had absented herself from school and TND duties under the excuse of illness. He'd wanted so much to apologize to her for being so foolish, but yet he couldn't go to her house, for fear of facing the wrath of Harvey.

Of course, while there was the fact that he had become a celebrated hero overnight for his feat against Gregory DeMarco – the news of which was somehow leaked out to the entire school populace, it did nothing to alleviate the fear that he might have lost his best friend (and now romantic interest) for good.

And that despair, inevitably, soon took its toll on his studies.

"Nigel Montgomery Uno!!" Benedict Uno, Nigel's uncle and temporary guardian while his parents were overseas on holiday – as well as the alter-ego of the KND/TND's arch-nemesis known as Father – called crossly, storming into the mansion's pool house where Nigel (clad only in his navy-blue trunks) was relaxing, with a piece of printed-out paper in his hand.

Nigel resisted the urge to let loose a string of curses. His cruddy interim! How could his uncle have found it! He had made sure that it was hidden…well hidden deep within the bowels of the Uno mansion. Wedged in-between the multiple recipes and cookbooks in the kitchen, the _last_ place his uncle would look –

– Or at least, that was what he thought.

"What is this? Hmm?" the senior Uno demanded, waving the paper around. "Why does it say here that you're only achieving _95 _percent in English and Chemistry, Nigel? Explain yourself!"

Nigel desperately wanted to sink into the water and drown himself. No… not _another_ one of his uncle's infamous underachieving speeches and 'how his parents would be so disappointed in him' lectures! How in his father's name did he _find_ the interim?!

"I _knew_ those surveillance cameras I installed would come in handy," said Benedict, an evil smirk on his face. "Here I was, taking a peek at the cameras today, and guess what I found Nigel? _I FOUND YOU HIDING THE INTERIM FROM ME!!_"

"Wait Uncle, it's not what you think!" Nigel protested.

"What am I seeing, Nigel old chap? I am seeing two _unsightly_ 95's on this piece of paper and I'm neither blind nor senile, my dear nephew!!" Benedict argued. "What have you been doing, Nigel? Drugs? Alcohol? Prostitutes? _Well_?! Take your pick!!"

"I'm not doing any of those!"

"_Then why did your grades drop?!_" Benedict questioned sharply, sitting on one of the patio chairs, his arms crossed.

"Eh… uh… you see…um…" Nigel fumbled for words. Oh, _where_ was his wide range of vocabulary when he needed it?!

"Well come on, out with it. I don't live forever, you know," Benedict said impatiently.

"It's about a girl," Nigel began with the utmost reluctance, his face turning an interesting shade of red; there went his pride, flushed right down the drain. Oh, and was that his dignity up there, flying away into the distance? …Why yes, yes it was!

"Oh? Who is it?" the part-time super-villain demanded, momentarily removing his pipe from his mouth, "Is it that Shirley Fenette whom you've been drooling over ever since you were fifteen?"

Nigel shook his head. "I'm over her already," he stated.

"Really now?" replied Benedict, "Who is it then?"

"It's Rachel."

"Rachel? Rachel Mackenzie? You mean that blond-haired girl's who's been your shadow and best friend ever since kindergarten?" _And the Head Thorn in my side for seven years straight,_ he added mentally; at present Benedict was blissfully oblivious to the existence of the TND, and his nephew's status as one of its operatives.

"…Yes."

"Well, didn't see _that_ one coming. Go on."

There was a pause from Nigel. "…I like her," he finally muttered.

Benedict raised an eyebrow. "And _that_'s why your grades dropped by _five_ bloody percent?" he asked skeptically.

"…A lot."

"Define 'a lot', Nigel. You aren't elaborating much."

"I mean, a lot, a lot."

"Nigel…" stated Benedict, rolling his eyes, "just say the _other_ 'L' word; it's not going to reduce you to a measly, rotting piece of dirt underneath someone's shoe."

Nigel threw his hands in the air. "Okay, fine! I _love_ her!!" he exclaimed, "Happy now?!"

"There you go! That wasn't so hard, now was it?"

"That's not the point, Uncle Ben," Nigel muttered.

"Then what is it?" Benedict asked, "Why isn't Rachel going on swooning into your arms, professing her undying love and desire to spend the rest of eternity with you and kissing you senseless, before riding off into the sunset with you in a pumpkin coach?"

"Because… we, well… we had a fight, during which I realized how horrendously blind I was to her feelings for all those years," Nigel replied, sighing. _And to my own._ "And now, I don't think she even wants to be _friends_ anymore, much less be my girlfriend."

"Nigel," Benedict crouched down and placed a hand on his nephew's shoulder, "if there's one thing you need to know, it is that we Uno men do _not_ lose what is rightfully ours in the first place. And that goes _double_ for women! Take your father for example; did you honestly think he simply stood by like an idiot and _watched_ while other men fawned over your mother?!"

"Err…no?"

And then Benedict majestically shot to his feet and looked out into the night sky, his trademark 'Father' flames erupting passionately around him and within his eyes as he struck a heroic pose. "Then _go_, Nigel! Reconcile with Rachel and make her your woman before anyone else does!!" he was proclaiming like some sort of army general about to go into battle, "If you don't, I will personally ensure that you're _shot_ on the spot!!"

"Uh… that's a very lovely thing to do to your only nephew, Uncle Ben…" Nigel trailed off, an enormous sweat-drop on the side of his head.

"I will let your English and Chemistry grades slip by this time, since it is due to such an important matter of life and death," Benedict declared, folding the interim – which was amazingly unharmed – and walking out of the pool house. But not before looking back and punching his fist into the air. "Go and _fight_ for her, Nigel!"

"Uhh… I will, Uncle Ben…" Nigel called back, pinching the bridge of his nose and sighing heavily. _Why_ did he have to be the one with dysfunctional relatives?

But despite his uncle's…eccentric way of putting it, Nigel knew that he and his inner chatterbox had a point. He got himself into this mess in the first place; now it was up to him to get out of it and make things right between him and Rachel.

And he knew exactly what he had to do.

Besides, he didn't think he (or the entire TND, for that matter) could last for another minute under Fanny's, umm, 'regency'.

* * *

Author's Notes

Pretty short chapter compared to the rest, as it is the first half of the final part of this story.

I think I may have made an accidental _Grim Adventures of the KND_ reference at the Grim Reaper part…

A moment of fan-service to all Nigel fangirls out there… and hope someone got a laugh – or at least, a grin at the part with Nigel and Benedict/Father.

Nothing much to say here, other than: review if you'd like.


	6. Final Stage: Belated Confession

**Operation: T.I.R.A.M.I.S.U.**

Final – Stage: Belated Confession

(Supreme Leader's Office, TND Global Command, Boaz Asteroid)

Rachel leaned back in her armchair, her legs resting on her desk while she stared listlessly at the portable television in her hand. She had spent nearly the whole morning channel-surfing and feeling bored out of her mind, and right now, even Arithmetic class didn't seem so bad in the face of such overwhelming boredom…

…_Almost_.

During the past week, Rachel had cut off any possible interaction and contact with her now ex-best friend. Aside from excusing herself from school, she also switched off both her mobile phone and 2x4 communicator, told her brother (who gladly offered to permanently – and painfully – rearrange Nigel's face for whatever he did to her) that she would not take any phone calls from Numbuh 1, avoided the places he frequented like the plague, and let no one enter her office/private quarters save for her closest advisors; she just couldn't bring herself to face Nigel again, nor did she want to.

For a while she had even absented herself from her TND Supreme Leader duties, only to come back three days later when the Numbuh 44 twins had come crawling to her after Biology class, begging her on their knees to return, saying that the organization was in mortal danger of becoming a female-dominated military dictatorship under Numbuh 86.

Harvey, Patton and her parents were understandably worried at her behavior. But after taking one look at the expression of abject misery on her face, they wisely kept their questions to themselves.

And then, just as she had flicked to a particularly gag-worthy episode of _The Oprah Winfrey Show_, she heard it.

Someone had knocked on her office door. She frowned. Her gut feeling was telling her she knew exactly who it was, and it _wasn't_ Patton, Harvey or Fanny. But her heart was telling her to open it anyway.

Because even though she was still angry at him, a part of her still missed looking at his adorable, shade-wearing face.

_Five seconds,_ she thought, as she switched off the portable television and placed it on her desk, _I'll glance at him for just _five _seconds and then I'll slam the door in his face, and never look at him _again_!_

The knocking sounded again. Slowly Rachel got up, trudged over to the door and opened it. And as sure as Numbuh 13 was the very epitome of horrendously bad luck, standing in front of her with his hands behind his back, was Nigel Uno himself.

He lifted one hand to scratch the back of his head awkwardly. "Numbuh 362, listen to me…" he began.

She narrowed her eyes. "What do you want, _Numbuh 1_?" she demanded; Nigel visibly flinched at the harsh, bitter tone in her voice. "You've already wrecked my first ever date, broken my heart and utterly _destroyed _any pride I have left. Our friendship is in _ruins_! I don't even know if it can ever be the same again!!"

"Num – Rachel… I – I'm so, _so_ sorry."

She stiffened at the sincerity in those words, and instantly the resentment – along with the earlier notion of slamming the door right in his face – in her heart evaporated away into nothingness.

"I'm so sorry," Nigel repeated, "because I've been so horribly _blind_ to both our feelings for far too long. Uncle Ben and my mind were right. They were trying to tell me I was missing out on something truly precious, something that could come only once in a lifetime. And then my mind told me –"

"Hold the phone," Rachel interrupted, tilting her head in confusion. "Did you just say that your… _mind_ was right??"

Nigel cleared his throat. "Err… yeah. My mind; that little voice in my head is probably the most unique, irritating and formidable opponent I have ever faced –" (_"Damn straight!!"_ it said.) "– But it's been trying to tell me about my feelings for you all along, and I tried to ignore it. That's because I cherish you and our friendship more than anything else in this world, and I didn't want to lose it just because my feelings for you had grown into something more. But when I saw DeMarco's hand on yours… well, I got jealous. Mad with envy, even. And do you know why?"

He took a step closer to her. "Because Rachel Aurora Mackenzie… I am truly, madly and deeply in love with you."

There was a silence as Rachel let the words sink in. "B-But what about Shirley? Or Liz –"

"Numbuh 81 is my dream girl," Nigel cut in, "but she's also _everyone_'s dream girl; I was initially infatuated with her because she represented what I thought I wanted in a perfect soul mate. And Lizzie was merely a light taste of first/childhood love, nothing more. However, the girl who has stolen my heart is neither of them, and _never_ will be." He took a deep breath, preparing himself for what he was about to say next.

"…It's _you_."

_Oh  
__Kiss Me_

Another long silence followed that declaration. And then there was the sound of sniffling from Rachel, which soon turned into full-blown sobbing as the girl wiped the tears from her eyes.

Nigel looked panicked. "Oh no – Rachel, please don't cry –" He reached out an arm, trying to comfort her. "I – I understand now… I'll never bother you again if that's what you –"

"No, you stupid idiot; it's not that!" Numbuh 362 blurted out, smiling with joy through her tears, "I-It's just – do you realize how _long_ I've waited for you to say those words?!"

Nigel sighed, scratching the back of his head again. "My guess is, too long. I took me the past week (and eleven years) to finally accept the fact that I loved you, and couldn't live without you. And when you didn't come to school that morning, and for the rest of the week… I nearly went _insane_ with despair." He gazed deeply into her steel-gray eyes, his heart in his blue ones. "Can you ever find it in your heart to forgive me for my utter stupidity and pig-headedness, and at least be my best friend again? I won't ask for anything more than that, because I know I don't deserve it. Not after what I did to you…"

_Beneath the milky twilight  
__Lead me onto the moonlit floor_

Rachel's eyes flared with anger. "Nigel Uno, am I your best friend, or has someone else already taken my place?!" she demanded. "And – Numbuh Zero help me – I can't seem to get rid of my feelings for you no matter _what_ I do, even if you _do_ talk to your own freaking mind! So let's just get this whole sappy garbage over and done with, and get to the part where you tell me you love me again and kiss me _senseless_!!"

The British boy's eyes widened behind his shades, and then he laughed heartily. "I love you too, boss-lady. And don't worry; I'll kiss you senseless later if that's really what you want. But first things first…"

He moved one hand from his back to reveal a slightly-squashed box of tiramisu. And it wasn't just any old tiramisu; it was one that came from Swenson's Ice-cream parlor… the very same place where they had their very first slice of tiramisu, eleven years previously.

_Lift your open hand  
__Strike up the band and make the fireflies dance  
__Silver moon's sparkling_

At the blonde girl's look of surprise he explained, "This tiramisu was a symbol of our everlasting friendship." He took a bite out of the dessert and then handed her the box. "And it is this tiramisu that will seal my eternal troth to you. That no matter how many female friends I may gain in my life, you are and _always_ will be the Supreme Leader of me and my heart. And should I ever do anything to break my troth –" He paused and smiled wryly. "Well, I'm sure death or decommissioning is preferable to the terrible punishment I'm going to receive from you."

"You got _that_ right, soldier!!" said Rachel. "And remember… you still owe me _eleven_ years' worth of kisses!"

With that Rachel happily ate the tiramisu. And after she'd finished it, she dragged Nigel into her office and shut the door, so that he could do what he had promised her in private.

_So kiss me_

He kissed her senseless.

And meanwhile, deep within the recesses of his mind, his inner chatterbox smirked triumphantly.

"_Well, well…perhaps there is hope for you yet, little grasshopper."_

**-XXX-**

(Cafeteria, Gallagher High)

_They look really happy together_, thought Sonya, smiling as she watched the new couple not too far away from her. "Numbuhs 1 and 362… who would've thought?" she remarked.

"I was surprised too," Lee agreed beside her, "Frankly, I thought Numbuh 363 would've roasted Numbuh 1 over a slow fire by now."

"Lee!" Sonya chided, lightly smacking her boyfriend on the arm. "Don't say that about Harvey! Sure, he may be an arrogant, annoying prat, and he isn't exactly Mr. Sociable either, but that doesn't make him a bad person; he would _never_ do anything to hurt his sist – mmph!"

Her reprimand was cut off as Lee slanted his lips over hers in a pacifying kiss. "Relax, love; I was only joking around," said the white-haired boy the moment he ended it.

Sonya blushed furiously, while muttering something about Herrera males and the inability to stay mad at them for long.

"Eh, I knew they would hook up sooner or later," Tommy chipped in. "The first time I looked at them… I knew they were _meant_ to be together."

Sonya raised a blond eyebrow. "Is that right??"

"Trust me, Numbuh 83; as an expert in matters of the heart and a renowned ladies' man, I am _never_ wrong about these things," Tommy declared, "Just like the time when I predicted that Numbuhs 3 and 4 –"

"Irrelevant," Lee cut in, giving an uncharacteristic scoff, "Anyone could've seen that from twenty miles off; we all know that the both of them have the subtlety of a sledgehammer." With a wry smirk he added, "And for some reason, Numbuh T, I have difficulty believing in your claim that you're popular with the members of the opposite gender, what with the fiasco at the arcade last week."

"Ah! Doubtful, are we?" said Tommy. "That, my dear Numbuh 84, was merely a simple mistake _anyone_ could've made. You'll see; before you know it, I will become Mushi-chan's second boyfriend!"

"Second? What happened to the first?" Sonya enquired.

"Oh, nothing you'd be able to prove."

"Excuse me, but would you guys mind moving along?" a voice called impatiently from behind them. "You're holding up the line here!"

Tommy turned around. "Hey, why don't you be more pa – MUSHI!!" he yelped, nearly falling over backwards as he did a double-take.

For the younger Sanban sibling herself was currently glaring impatiently at Tommy, while tapping her foot against the floor with her arms crossed. "Are you done talking yet? Some of us actually want to enjoy our recess, you know!" she snapped testily.

"Oh! O-Of course, Mushi! R-Right away!! At once!" a red-faced Tommy stammered dumbly, his nerves still a scrambled mess at the close proximity between him and his crush. Quickly retrieving his tray Tommy began to move away from the counter, fully intending to make way for her.

Unfortunately, however, there _just_ happened to be a puddle right where his foot was stepping, and the sudden slickness in surface caused Tommy to lose his balance, pitching him forward…

…And depositing his tray's contents down the front of the other pigtail-haired girl's blouse.

A moment of deathly silence fell over the group. And then, an eardrum-shattering explosion of "**TOM – MY GILLI – **_**GAN**_**!!**" reverberated throughout the cafeteria, causing everybody within a five hundred-foot radius to nearly fall over in fright; rumbling thunderclouds were now forming over Mushi's head, and her violet eyes were actually _bursting_ into flames as her violent side came to the surface.

"There goes the neighborhood," Lee murmured.

Tommy, meanwhile, looked utterly _mortified_ at what just happened. "Oh my gosh!! Mushi-chan, I'm so sorry!" he apologized, "I swear I didn't mean to – it was an accident –"

"I'll give you five seconds to run for your life, buster!!" hissed Mushi, her fingers already twitching. "Gou…"

"No, wait – Mushi-chan –"

"Yon… san…"

With a high-pitched scream that was completely unfitting for a boy his fourteen years of age, the Caped Crusader of Sector W turned around and bolted in the opposite direction at top speed, trying to put as much distance as possible between him and the raging Japanese girl.

"_OI!!_ GET BACK HERE, I'M NOT DONE WITH YOU YET!!" Mushi yelled as she took off after him, the both of them leaving a sweat-dropping Lee and Sonya behind him.

From their usual place Nigel and Rachel observed the chase between the two younger teenagers, confused expressions on their faces. "What was _that _all about??" the blonde asked.

"Who knows?" Nigel shrugged, and kissed her cheek.

**END TRANSMISSION**

Seiyu Squadron

Hikaru Midorikawa – Numbuh 1  
Keiji Fujiwara – Numbuh 2  
Rie Kugimiya – Numbuh 3  
Daisuke Nakamura – Numbuh 4  
Megumi Toyoguchi – Numbuh 5  
Sanae Kobayashi – Numbuh 362  
Kenji Hamada – Numbuh 363, Gregory

* * *

Author's Notes

And heeere we are: the second part of the finale and the end of _Operation: T.I.R.A.M.I.S.U_.

Song credits: "Kiss Me", by Sixpence None the Richer. Thought it suited the situation.

Couldn't resist adding a little TommyxMushi and 83x84 here (as well as the credits; hmm… 'Seiyu Squadron', quite a nice ring to it, innit?).

With that aside, hoped you enjoyed this story, and please tell me what you think.


End file.
